1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image creating apparatus for generating images to be displayed on a display unit, a displayed scene switching method for the image creating apparatus, a computer-readable recording medium containing a displayed scene switching program for the image creating apparatus, and a video game machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many game systems have been proposed as display systems for displaying an image on a display unit, such as a system comprised of a home-use game console and a television monitor, a commercial-use game machine, and a system comprised of a personal computer or work station, a display, and a sound output device.
The game systems each include a player-operated controller, a recording medium containing game-program data, a central processing unit (CPU) for performing control for the generation of sound and images based on the game-program data, a processor for generating images, a processor for generating sound, a monitor for displaying images, and a speaker for outputting the generated sound. In many cases, the types of recording medium include a compact-disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), a semiconductor memory, and a cassette having a built-in semiconductor memory.
In the display systems, it is common that a plurality of scenes are displayed on the display unit.
The display systems switch displayed scenes while displaying images. It is expected that the displayed scenes are preferably switched.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image creating apparatus for preferably switching displayed scenes while displaying images, a displayed scene switching method for the image creating apparatus, a computer-readable recording medium containing a displayed scene switching program for the image creating apparatus, and a video game machine.
To this end, according to an aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object is achieved through provision of an image creating apparatus for selectively displaying a plurality of scenes on a display unit. The image creating apparatus includes an image-data storage unit including at least three data storage areas in each of which image data of one frame on the display unit are stored, a picture-signal processing unit for generating the image data of one frame and for cyclically storing the generated data in the data storage areas, an image output unit for cyclically reading and successively outputting the image data stored in the data storage areas on the display unit, a switching-designation unit for outputting a signal for designating the switching of each scene displayed on the display unit, and a processing-control unit for switching the scene being displayed on the display unit from an old scene to a new scene when the switching-designation signal is output. The processing-control unit includes an old-scene holding unit for holding the image data of the old scene in any one of the data storage areas in the image-data storage unit, and an instruction-controlling unit for controlling the picture-signal processing unit to use the images of the old and new scenes to generate image data and to cyclically store the generated image data in the other data storage areas.
Preferably, the picture-signal processing unit generates, as the image data, the data of an image viewed from a predetermined viewpoint in a virtual three-dimensional space, and the instruction-controlling unit controls the picture-signal processing unit to generate the image data in a form set so that the image of the old scene has higher or lower priority of display to the image of the new scene and to cyclically store the generated data in the other data storage areas in the image-data storage unit.
The instruction-controlling unit may control the picture-signal processing unit to divide the image of the old scene into a plurality of portions and to generate the image data in a form set so that the portions of the image of the old scene are separated from one another whenever the image data are cyclically stored in the other data storage areas.
The processing-control unit may include a transparency-setting unit which successively changes the degree of transparency of either the image of the old scene or the image of the new scene so that the image of the new scene is displayed in accordance with an elapse of time and which controls the picture-signal processing unit to generate the image data with the changed degree of transparency.
The instruction-controlling unit may control the picture-signal processing unit to generate the image data in a form set so that the image of the old scene has higher priority of display to the image of the new scene, and the transparency-setting unit may successively increase the degree of transparency of the image of the old scene.
The image creating apparatus may further include a switching-terminating unit for terminating the operation of the processing-control unit when the degree of transparency of the image of the old scene reaches a predetermined value.
The old-image holding unit may hold, in a predetermined data storage area as one of the data storage areas in the image-data storage unit, the image data stored in the predetermined data storage area after the switching-designation signal is output.
The image-data storage unit may include first, second, and third data storage areas as the plurality of data storage areas.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object is achieved through provision of a displayed scene switching method for an image creating apparatus for selectively displaying a plurality of scenes on a display unit. The displayed scene switching method includes the steps of: generating image data of one frame on the display unit before cyclically storing the generated image data in at least three data storage areas of an image-data storage unit which are each capable of storing the image data of one frame; cyclically reading and successively outputting the image data stored in the data storage areas on the display unit; holding, when a signal for designating the switching of each scene displayed on the display unit is output, the image data of an old scene being displayed on the display unit in any one of the data storage areas of the image-data storage unit; and using the images of the old scene and a new scene to be next displayed to generate image data, and cyclically storing the generated image data in the other data storage areas of the image-data storage unit.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object is achieved through provision of a computer-readable recording medium containing a displayed scene switch program for an image creating apparatus that selectively displays a plurality of scenes on a display unit. The displayed scene switch program includes a storage step for generating image data of one frame on the display unit before cyclically storing the generated image data in at least three data storage areas of an image-data storage unit which are each capable of storing the image data of one frame, an output step for cyclically reading and successively outputting the image data stored in the data storage areas on the display unit, a switching-designation step for outputting a signal for designating the switching of each scene displayed on the display unit, a holding step for holding, when the switching-designation signal is output, the image data of an old scene being displayed on the display unit in any one of the data storage areas of the image-data storage unit, and a switching-storage step for using the images of the old scene and a new scene to be next displayed to generate image data and for cyclically storing the generated image data in the other data storage areas of the image-data storage unit.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object is achieved through provision of a video game machine including a program storage unit containing a game program, an operation unit capable of being externally operated, and an image creating apparatus for selectively displaying a plurality of scenes on a display unit. The image creating apparatus includes an image-data storage unit including at least three data storage areas in each of which image data of one frame on the display unit are stored, a picture-signal processing unit for generating the image data of one frame and for cyclically storing the generated data in the data storage areas, an image output unit for cyclically reading and successively outputting the image data stored in the data storage areas on the display unit, a switching-designation unit for outputting a signal for designating the switching of each scene displayed on the display unit, and a processing-control unit for switching the scene being displayed on the display unit from an old scene to a new scene when the switching-designation signal is output. The processing-control unit includes an old-scene holding unit for holding the image data of the old scene in any one of the data storage areas in the image-data storage unit, and an instruction-controlling unit for controlling the picture-signal processing unit to use the images of the old and new scenes to generate image data and to cyclically store the generated image data in the other data storage areas.
According to the present invention, when a switching-designation signal is output, the image data of an old scene being displayed on a display unit is held in one data storage area in an image-data storage unit, and the image of the old scene and the image of a new scene are used to generate image data, while the generated image data are cyclically stored in the other data storage areas, whereby the data of an image in which the image of the old scene and the image of the new scene are mixed are generated, which can gradually change the image displayed on the display unit from the image of the old scene to the image of the new scene.
By holding the image data of an old scene in one data storage area, and storing, in the other data storage areas, image data including the image of a new scene, the need for using an additional data storage area for the image data of the old scene can be eliminated.
By cyclically storing, in the other data storage areas of an image-data storage unit, image data including the image of the new scene, a moving picture as the new scene can be displayed. Accordingly, the scene displayed on a display unit can be preferably switched from the old scene to the new scene.
According to the present invention, by holding, when a switching-designation signal is output, the image data of an old scene being displayed on a display unit in one data storage area of an image-data storage unit, and generating image data in a form set so that the image of the old scene has higher or lower priority of display to the image of a new scene, an image in which the image of an old scene and the image of a new scene are covered with each other is obtained, which enables preferable switching frog the old scene to the new scene.
According to the present invention, by generating image data in a form set so that a plurality of divided portions of the image of an old scene are separated from one another for each cyclical storing to the other data storage areas, the image of a new scene is gradually displayed in accordance with the separation of the divided portions of the image of the old scene, which enables preferable switching from the image of the old scene to the image of the new scene.
According to the present invention, the degree of transparency of either the image of an old scene or the image of a new scene is successively changed for displaying the image of a new scene on a display unit with an elapse of time, and the changed degree of transparency is used to generate image data, whereby the image of the new scene can be gradually displayed with an elapse of time from a state in which the image of the old scene is displayed. This can preferably change the scene displayed on the display unit from the old scene to the new scene.
According to the present invention, by generating image data in a form in which the image of an old scene has higher priority of display to the image of a new scene, and successively increasing the degree of the image of the old scene, the image of the new scene can be gradually displayed on a display unit in accordance with an increase in the degree of its transparency, compared with the image of the old scene.
According to the present invention, when the degree of transparency of the image of an old scene reaches a predetermined value, the operation of a processing-control unit is terminated, whereby the holding of the image of the old scene is terminated to return a state obtained before a switching-designation signal is output. Thereby, displayed scene switching from the old scene to the new scene is preferably performed, and the image of the new scene can be displayed on the display unit.
According to the present invention, after a switching-designation signal is output, image data stored in a predetermined data storage area of an image-data storage unit by a picture-signal processing unit are held in the predetermined data storage area, whereby the same data storage area is always used to hold the image data of the old scene. This makes it possible for an instruction-controlling unit to easily instruct the picture-signal processing unit to access the data storage area.
According to the present invention, an image-data storage unit includes three data storage areas: first to third data storage areas, whereby a moving picture as a new scene can be displayed while the image of an old scene and the image of the new scene are being displayed with both images covered by each other, which enables preferable scene switching.
According to the present invention, when a switching-designation signal is output, the image data of an old scene being displayed on the display unit is held in one data storage area in an image-data storage unit, and the image of the old scene and the image of a new scene are used to generate image data, while the generated image data are cyclically stored in the other data storage areas. Therefore, the data of an image in which the image of the old scene and the image of the new scene are mixed are generated, which can gradually change the game screen displayed on the display unit from the image of the old scene to the image of the new scene.
In addition, by holding the image data of the old scene in one data storage area, and storing the image data including the image of the new scene in the other data storage areas, the need for using an additional data storage area for storing the image data of the old scene can be eliminated.
Also, by cyclically storing the image data including the image of the new scene in the other data storage areas of the image-data storage unit, a moving picture as the new scene can be displayed, which can preferably initiate the display of a game screen of the new scene. Therefore, preferable scene switching of the game screen displayed on the display unit can be performed.
According to the present invention, it is determined whether a predetermined clearing condition for an old scene has been satisfied by operating the operation unit, and the satisfaction of the clearing condition outputs a switching-designation signal. Thus, scene switching from the old scene to a new scene is not performed unless the clearing condition has been satisfied, which enables preferable control of displaying the new scene.
According to the present invention, by detecting the contents of operations using an operation unit, creating, in accordance with the detected contents, rendering commands for generating image data every predetermined period in units of screens, and generating image data from the rendering commands so that the creation of the rendering commands is preferably performed, the desired image data can be preferably created.